Family
by BobbyThat'sNotYourPurse
Summary: Danny's family is lost in the Nasty Burger explosion. Danny fears that he will be sent to live with Vlad, however Maddie did something without telling anyone else. She changed Danny's godparents. Danny is being sent to live with his childhood neighbors, the Louds. Now Danny will have a new family, one that will help him face whatever problems come his way, ghostly or otherwise.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I am back. I know I've been inactive for a while, and I know that you guys want me to update my other stories instead of making another, but I just had to get this story out.

I got the idea after watching L is for Love and I just thought, "Needs more cowbell." So be prepared for this story to have more teen angst compared to my other stories, and it'll focus on character interaction more. Also with how the Loud House episodes usually are, I feel like I can actually force myself away from just following the shows plot course. So yeah, this story will likely turn out drastically different from what I usually put out. Without further ado, I bid you to read the first chapter of "Family."

* * *

Danny couldn't breathe. Dan had him face down on the street, his foot pressed harshly against his younger self's back. The ghost smirked as Danny's ghost form drained away to reveal his human half and pushed his foot harder, making Danny cry out, "Stop!" Dan rolled his eyes, kneeling down and grabbing the boy's head in one hand, "Why would I do that?" He turned Danny's head to the side, "We haven't even seen the climax yet!"

Tears streamed down the halfa's face as he was forced to looked at his friends and family strapped to the Nasty Burger's secret sauce container. It wasn't just the thought of knowing he had failed to them, it was the looks they were giving him. They all had the same expression, an expression of forgiveness. He may not have been able to see the sorrowful smiles they had, but the looks in their eyes told him enough: It was okay that he couldn't save them, he had done his best and they knew that. Danny cried harder, knowing that this would be the last time he saw any of them.

The metal container began to hiss as it finally reached its threshold, "NO!" The explosion muffled the boys scream. He choked on his own sobs as the smoke cleared, revealing a smoldering crater devoid of any sign that his family had been there at all.

"Aw, I was hoping for a bit more blood." Dan chuckled. Danny looked at him out of the corner of his eye. This monster had just murdered his family and friends and he had the gall to laugh at him, "Oh, what's with that look? This was destined to happen." Danny's fingers scraped the pavement as he balled his fists, his despair turning into anger. What made all of this worse was that this monster was supposed to be him. "And now all that your future holds is for you to become just. Like. Me!" Dan laughed in triumph. Danny clenched his eyes shut and whispered something inaudible, "What did you say, I didn't quite catch that?" Dan leaned in closer cupping his hand behind his ear.

"I said," Danny began to push against Dan's foot, "NO!" He summoned his ghost half and threw his future self off of him. The teen jumped off the ground, turning to his shocked counterpart. Rage filed his eyes, causing them to flicker between red and green. Danny threw himself at Dan, punching, kicking and even biting before the ghost could regain himself. He drove his fist into his face, feeling something crunch under it. The boy grabbed Dan's head, bringing it down as he threw his knee into his chin. He kicked him in the chest forcing the ghost onto his back. Danny dropped his knee on Dan's chest. He reared his fist back and began to pummel the ghost repeatedly.

Danny began to slow down, his breath coming in heaving pants. Dan's face was battered and bruised, ectoplasm flowing freely from his nose. Danny grabbed the sides of the ghost's head and screamed. The sound he released was haunting as it echoed throughout Amity Park, but for Dan the scream was more than haunting, it was devastating. The point blank ghostly wail ruptured his ear drums and sapped whatever strength he had left. Danny didn't stop, he kept screaming. By the time he was done his throat was ragged and Dan may as well have been a limp husk. Danny let go of his head, letting it crack against the street. He stood and pulled the Fenton thermos from his belt and sucked the monster into it. The adrenaline in his system began to fade, causing Danny to drop his ghost form and collapse in the street.

* * *

Danny woke up in a hospital room. The sudden rush of light he received when opening his eyes blinded him, causing him to wince. He blinked until he could see again. He was dressed in a patient gown with an IV inserted in his arm. He sat up as a doctor came into the room, "Ah, you're awake," he stood by the boy's bed, "You are very... fortunate young man, you came in here with only minor injuries and what ones you had have healed remarkably fast." Danny hummed in reply, 'Fortunate... is that what I am?' The man took note of his silence and put a hand on his shoulder, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." That didn't make him feel any better, Danny hated people who did that, say "I'm sorry" to someone for something that wasn't their fault. The doctor left the room after looking at the chart at the end of the bed.

It wasn't long after he left that a woman entered the room, a bag hanging from her elbow, "Hi, Danny," she said before going into a speech about who she was and why she was there, essentially telling him she was a social worker, "I assume you know what this means?" Danny nodded.

"I have to go live with Vlad." His voice was small, hushed. The events that led to Dan existing were falling into place.

"Vlad?" The woman seemed confused, "No sweetie, he's not your godfather anymore."

This made Danny confused, as far as he knew Vlad was his legal guardian, but if he wasn't then... "Who is?"

"That would be me." A new voice came from the door. Danny looked at the voice's owner, his face lighting up when he saw him.

* * *

"Kids! Could you come downstairs, we need to have a family meeting!" Rita Loud called upstairs to her children. The kids came down stairs yawning and rubbing their eyes after being woken up in the middle of the night. Rita moved in front of the tv as her children surrounded the couch.

"What's up Mom, why'd you call us so late?" Lincoln asked her, wiping crust from his eyes.

Rita looked at her kids with a sad expression, "Well kids, something happened. With the Fentons."

When she said this most of the kids looked confused, but the oldest five began to feel worried. Lincoln raised his hand, "Who are the Fentons?"

Rita looked at her only son, "The Fentons are some old friends your dad and I met during college. They used to live across the street but they moved away, the last time we saw them was when you were only two years old, Lincoln." Her explanation brought looks of revelation to the younger kids' faces, but the older kids still looked worried.

"Mom what happened, are they okay?" Luan asked, trying to get her mom back on track.

"I don't know all the details, but there was something about an explosion and Danny being in the hospital," She sighed, "We got a call earlier about how Danny's going to live here now. Your father left immediately after the call ended, he'll be back in a few days with Danny, they just need to pack his things and they'll head back."

"Aw, dudes, I hope Danny's okay." Luna looked at her sisters, who nodded in return. Of all the Loud siblings Luna was the most concerned. Before Danny had moved away, they were best friends, one would be hard pressed to find a time where the two were apart they were so close. The two had kept in contact with each other over the years but it wasn't the same as before.

Their mother smiled at her daughters' concern, "He'll be alright, your father said he only had minor injuries and would be out of the hospital by tomorrow." A wave of relief washed over the girls upon hearing this, "Now back up to bed kids, we've got a few long days ahead of us."

The Loud children filed back upstairs and into their rooms. One by one they all fell asleep, except for Luna. She found herself awake for the rest of the night, excitement shining partly through the fog of worry. A smile worked its way onto her face, 'Danny's coming back!'

* * *

Danny was walking through house for what would be the last time. He held a box in his hands. Inside the box were the pictures that had hung on the walls for years, a visual timeline of the Fentons' lives. There were pictures of every birthday, every holiday, everything important that had ever happened to his family was held in that box.

Danny went into Jazz's room. The walls were lined with bookshelves and educational posters. He walked up to her bed. MC Bear-Bear rested peacefully against her pillows. The boy grabbed the stuffed animal and set him in the box. His next stop was his parents' room. Ghost equipment was scattered around the floor and an empty fudge tin stuck out from under his dad's pillow. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at this. The halfa opened their closet. His mother's staff rested against the wall at the back of the closet. Danny grabbed it and set it against his shoulder before reaching for one of his father's belongings. Jack's fishing hat sat in his hands like a lead weight. He quickly put the hat in the box before he could start crying.

Danny went downstairs, heading for his last piece of business. He stared at the ghost portal. He wished he could blame it for all of what had happened but he couldn't find it in himself to do so. In a lot of ways the ghost portal had improved his life, his time as Phantom had boosted his confidence tremendously and there was no way he could say his life had been boring fro the past year he had his powers. The was no way he could hate his parents' creation.

He moved to the control panel. Before he could touch a single button, the doors flew open. The swirling vortex darkened as a silhouette began to form, prompting Danny to transform into Phantom. His hands began to glow as the shadow grew smaller. A paw stepped out of the portal, leading up to a furry body supporting a wolf head. Danny dropped his guard, "Wulf?"

The ghost smiled at Danny before grabbing him in a hug. He set the boy down and pointed at him "F-family." His voice was filled with sympathy.

Danny's eyes went downcast, "Word got around fast, huh?" Wulf nodded. He gestured to the ghost portal, "Want... truce."

This took Danny a few minutes to understand, "The ghosts want a truce?"

The werewolf nodded, "Mmosst."

Danny sighed, turning back to the control panel, "Just tell them that as long as they don't cause any trouble they won't hear anything from me."

Wulf put a hand on the halfa's shoulder, "H-hold." Another shadow appeared in the portal, this one considerably smaller than Wulf's. A yap echoed from the tunnel, telling Danny exactly who it was. A small, green bounded out of the portal and started barking at the boy, who laughed at its excitement. He knelt down as the dog ran up to him and let it lick his hand, "Hey, Cujo." He was so distracted by the ghost dog that he didn't hear what Wulf was doing until a loud crack caught his attention. The ghost had one of his fingers in his mouth and one of his glowing green claws in the other hand.

"Whoa, Wulf, what are you doing?!" Danny rushed to his friend's side, Cujo in hot pursuit. The werewolf picked up the small dog, after removing his finger from his mouth, and held him and the claw out to the teen, "Gifts for frrriend."

The half-ghost was speechless. He reached out and took the claw, looking at the broken remains that stuck out of his friend's finger. He smiled and hugged the ghost. He didn't lose all of his friends.

* * *

Danny walked up to the beat-up van that Lynn Sr. had arrived in. The man was standing outside facing the now vacant Fenton Works building, "Y'know, Danny," he kept his eyes on the building, "Your parents... they were really something. The whole "ghosts" thing nobody believed them, but they didn't care. They stuck with their dreams and look what they accomplished... They proved that ghosts actually exist," He sighed, looking at the boy, "You should be proud."

The teen stacked the last box on the others, setting the staff in the floor. He looked back at his empty home and smiled.

"I am."

* * *

A/N: I don't want to hear anything about how short or how shit the fight with Dan was, that's not what this story's about. Dan. Won't. Return. I'm just putting that out there now so people don't expect him to come waddling back in with his pants around his ankles. That's usually how I feel "Dan's back" story lines go, stumbling around, exposing themselves to strangers.

That's not to say ghosts won't have a role to play, they will, just not a frequently recurring role. Also I don't want to hear any bitching about Wulf giving Danny one of his claws, I know it wasn't the best scene but I couldn't think of any other way to leave some paths that I may take in the future open. And yes, I know the scene wasn't that good, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it.

Oh, and could you guys give me some other title ideas, I don't know how much I like "Family" so if you guys could help me come up with a better one, that'd be great.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just a heads up for this and future chapters, Danny calls Lynn Sr. and Rita Uncle Lynn and Aunt Rita. It's not that he's related to the Louds (That would make my plans for this story M rated) it's just that he was that close to them as a kid so he started calling them that and never stopped. Just a warning so you guys don't get confused.

Anyway, this chapter's gonna focus on Danny's trip to and settling in at the Loud House. I've also come up with a pseudo timeline for this story, I looked at the episode lists for both shows and saw that the episode after Ultimate Enemy was the Christmas special so I've decided that the beginning of this story will lead up to season 2 of Loud House and I will only be using plots for episodes I think are crucial (i.e. 11 Louds a Leapin, L is for Love) I might use some minor ones in passing but I'll try to keep it as watered down as possible.

* * *

"How far away are you? An hour? Alright, okay, honey, bye." Rita hung her phone up as she walked through the living room, calling through the house, "Kids, dad'll be home soon with Danny, how's everything coming?" Her children answered her with a myriad of "good, finished, and almost done." She looked up the stairs and shouted, "Everything alright up there, Lana?"

The six year old poked her head around the corner, "Going great, Mom, I'll be finished in about... thirty minutes." Her mother smiled at her, "Alright, sweetie, keep up the good work." The woman turned to walk to the kitchen when a purple blur sped by her, the wind from it causing her to spin around. She stood in the doorway, watching Luna rush around the kitchen, furiously cleaning, "A little excited, Luna?"

"Of course I'm excited!" The rocker stopped cleaning to talk, "I finally get to see my best friend in person after 9 years," her smile grew, "No more having to call, no more email, no more guitar lessons over Skype!" The third Loud child was practically vibrating with joy over seeing her childhood friend again. The two had kept in touch over the years, talking over the phone, texting, but it wasn't the same as being physically next to each other, speaking face to face without a delay in the video feed. Luna was dead set on making sure everything was perfect when Danny arrived.

Rita smiled at her daughter, "I understand that, but slow down," She placed a hand on her shoulder, "I don't think Danny would like coming here only for you to be too exhausted to do anything." the mother looked her daughter in the eye, her expression getting softer, "And you have to remember why Danny's coming here. He's going to be in a fragile state for a bit and it's our job to help him through it."

Luna's smile drooped a bit. She was so caught up on reuniting with her best friend that she had nearly forgotten what had happened to said friend a few days ago. The girl hugged her mom, "Thanks, Mom," she pulled away, a soft smile on her face, "I'll do my best!"

* * *

Vanzilla rolled through Hazeltucky, the city a town over from Royal Woods. Danny and Lynn Sr. rode in comfortable silence, Cujo sleeping in Danny's lap. Lynn had gotten of the phone with Rita about five minutes ago, after telling her how long they'd be getting back. The silence was broken by the sound of Danny's stomach growling. The driver chuckled, "Sounds like you're hungry, how's about we stop and get something to eat?"

The teen thought for a second, because that's how long he had before his stomach growled again, "As long as it's not anything from a Nasty Burger I'm game."

Lynn's eyes drooped a bit when he heard the teen say that. The past few days since the explosion, Danny seemed to be handling the situation just fine; he wasn't falling apart every time Lynn talked about his parents, he didn't lash out at the world like some might have. He acted like a typical teen going through a rough patch at school, knowing he'd get out of it, so seeing a crack in the boy's defenses, even one as small as this, was a sobering moment.

"Alright, then how about some pizza," the man jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "I saw a place a few miles back, we could turn around and take a quick rest, sound good?"

Danny nodded, patting Cujo on the head, "Sounds great, Uncle Lynn."

About ten minutes later the two were seated across from each other in a booth. The waitress had just headed to the back to start their order when Danny's phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and gave a small chuckle. Lynn sat in silence as his ward texted back and forth for a minute, each message serving to make his smile wider. Naturally, he got curious, "Who ya talking to, Danny?"

The boy jumped, having nearly forgotten about his chaperone. He waited a second to reply, "It's Luna, she telling me to make you drive faster." A smirk came to the teen's face, "I said it was impressive that you could drive a restaurant."

The man laughed at that. It was then that Lynn remembered just how close his daughter was to Danny when they were kids. He smiled at the teen in front of him, "So, Danny, are you excited to see Luna?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Danny set his phone down, "There's no way I couldn't be excited! We haven't seen each other in years." He grinned, "It's been 9 years since we've seen each other, and now we're only an hour or two away from each other? The wait is excruciating."

They stopped talking when the waitress brought their pizza, leaving after she received a quick thank you. Danny and Lynn grabbed a slice and began to eat. Lynn spoke around what was in his mouth, "Tell you what, how's about when we're done here," he swallowed, "I drive us back as fast as I can, screw the speed limit."

Danny looked at the man, wondering why he wasn't his original godfather. He smiled at him,

"Thanks, Uncle Lynn."

* * *

Danny walked into the house, behind Lynn Sr. He set Cujo down, watching him trot around apprehensively. He didn't get to watch for long, Lynn Sr. called out, "Everybody we're home!"

It sounded as though a stampede was charging through the Loud House, the change was so sudden that it almost scared the boy. A pair of feet slid to a stop at the top of the stairs only for them to be sent flying and replaced by another. Grunts were heard, along with the sound of bodies colliding, as the owner of the feet barreled down the stairs. The second he saw a glimpse of purple he knew who it was.

Luna nearly knocked Danny over with the force of her hug, force he paid her back in kind. They stood there for what felt like hours holding each other laughing, just enjoying being in each other's company once again. The hours they felt were revealed to only be seconds when another person joined their hug, followed by another, and another. Soon enough, Danny was no longer visible through the five oldest Loud siblings, the huddle of bodies radiating joy.

"It's so great to see you again, dude!" Luna said as she and her sisters let him go. Lori ruffled his hair with a chuckle, "Yeah, we really missed having you around, Danny".

The boy laughed, "And I missed being around."

As he was being welcomed back, Danny was being watched from the staircase. Lincoln and the rest of the kids were watching as their older sisters smothered the new arrival, 'This is the guy they spent the last few days obsessing over?' He didn't look like much to the 11 year old. The way Luna went on about him had Lincoln expecting some kind of Adonis, not a pale, black haired teen. His height didn't keep with the boy's expectations either; he was an inch shorter than Luna. Overall, he wasn't impressed. Still, despite his disillusionment, Lincoln decided to remain optimistic over the new arrival, making his way over to the crowd.

A cough broke through the chatter. Danny and the girls looked down, seeing the middle child extending his hand, "Hi, I'm Lincoln, nice to meet you." He closed his eyes with a smile. He opened them when he heard his sisters snickering, "What?"

"I know who you are, Lincoln," Danny shook the boy's hand, looking at the stair case, "I even know who they are."

"How, Mom said you moved away when you were six?" Lincoln shrugged.

"Did you think I wouldn't tell my best bud whenever I got a new sis, bro?" Luna draped her arm around Danny's shoulders. The boy rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, his face flushed red. The girls laughed at him before Lori nudged the teen boy, "Why don't you introduce yourself to the others, huh?"

Danny looked at the bottom of the staircase. The youngest loud sisters were staring, their faces reminding the boy of curious dogs about to sniff at something new. He walked over to the children, and was slightly surprised when one of the twins did start sniffing him, "Lana, stop it!" Lola shouted at her, "He just got here and you're already acting weird!"

"It's fine, really," Danny said, not certain he meant it, "As long as she doesn't start trying to drag me around like Cujo used to."

"Cujo?" Lucy's voice startled her sisters, "Who's Cujo?"

Before the teen could say anything, his dog wormed its way out from under the couch, where it had hid when the girls stampeded through the house. He yapped and trotted to the stairs before sitting down and wagging his tail into a green blur. His owner chuckled, "That's Cujo."

A gasp left Lisa's mouth, "Fascinating!" She stooped down to get a better look at the green dog as it cocked its head at her, "I've never seen a green canine before, and it's glowing! What could have caused such an abnormality, a new strain of albinism, maybe radioactivity?" Danny stared at the four year old obsess over the ghost dog. Said dog tried to back away from her when she mentioned "tests," only for her to scoot the pooch back to where it was. Worrying that Cujo might go into "attack mode," as the boy called it, Danny interrupted her, "It's that first thing."

"First thing?" the scientist looked at him, eyebrow raised, "You mean a new strain of albinism?"

Danny nodded, sweat building on his forehead, "Yeah, that, Albania." Lisa scrutinized him with a squint. Sweat dripped down his neck under her gaze. Finally she relented with a shrug, "Alright, I'll still want to run a few tests-"

"No!" Danny interrupted her again.

"And why not, may I ask?" The girl asked as the teen snatched his dog away.

"Because, Luna told me about your "tests" and I don't want anything happening to my dog!"

Lisa would have protested if not for Lily giggling, "Puppy."

The black haired teen felt a tug at his pants. He looked down to see the blonde baby reaching up toward Cujo. He knelt down in front of her, holding Cujo out. The dog sniffed the baby, making her laugh, before licking her face. The sudden lick caused Lily to fall back into a sitting position, giggling, as Cujo squirmed out of his owner's grip and proceeded to pounce on the baby's lap, licking her face even more. The scene resulted in a chorus of "awws" from the rest of the Louds.

"There's something odd about you." Danny turned around. Lucy stood behind him, staring though him, "You have something that shouldn't be a part of you and yet it is... what is it?"

Danny wasn't one to scare easily, the past year had sought to enforce that, not even Lucy's sudden appearance scared him. But something about the eight year old's words struck something in him, 'She knows! How does she know?!' The halfa mentally smacked himself, 'Calm down, Fenton, she said there was something odd, she doesn't know that something is your ghost half... Hopefully.'

The teen decided to change the subject, "Well, would you look at that," He stood with a nervous grin, "I still need to unpack! I'll just get that star-" He had started backing was stopped by Luna clapping her hands on his shoulders, "Where you goin', man, you gotta see where to put your stuff." She pushed him forward, steering him to the staircase. She started talking as she led the boy up the stairs, "At first we thought about cleaning out the garage and giving it to you," she flicked a light switch as they passed by, "Then I told Mom that might make you feel lonely, y'know? So she asked what I thought we should do." They reached the top of the stairs, "At first I thought you should get the basement, but the more I thought about it, the less awesome it sounded. Finally, I remembered we had this," Luna moved around Danny. She reached overhead, grabbing a thin rope that hung from the ceiling, and pulled. A ladder slid from the ceiling as it opened up, "The attic."

Danny climbed the ladder, Luna right behind him. When he reached the top he looked at his new room. It was mostly bare, the only things in it being a bed and a desk, "I know it's not much, but we didn't want to crowd your new pad before you could." The boy turned to his friend, wrapping her in another hug.

"Thanks, Luna."

The girl gave a small smile before return her friend's hug, "No problem, Danny."

* * *

A/N: Have I mentioned how much I love writing this story? I mean sure the other ones I've written are good, but this one... There's something about it that keeps me from looking away. Anyway, I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far, now onto the reviews, I'll be putting the person's review in bold with my response so you guys who are interested in what other people have to say don't have to comb through the comments looking for the reviewer I'm responding to.

gamelover41592: **This has potential let's see where this goes**

First off, let me thank you for being the first reviewer, gold star. Thanks for seeing the potential for what this story can be, hopefully this chapter didn't let you down, and that future ones don't either.

Dusk Volt: **Hope to see more of this story so far I find it very enjoyable**

Really I could just copy and paste my last response for this one, thanks for liking my work, I plan on making this sort of akin to a CW drama so hopefully you enjoy those.

PhantomFever81: **I can't wait to read the next chapter if you do it, Man I got the feels so bad from this, (is it weird that I love it?)**

Was this up to your standards? I was actually going for a sad feel for the first chapter, y'know, setting up that Danny's gonna need help whether he shows it or not, while also putting in that little bit of hope with him and Luna being close. Also thanks for the name suggestions, the one that really stuck out to me was "Never Forget but be Loud" there was something to it that made me think it could work, I might put up a poll once I get enough suggestions.

retrogunner7: **I really want to see where this goes too!**

Stick around for the future, shit will go down, more emotionally than physically, but there will be violence.

xbox432: **Looking forward to seeing how the Loud kids react to Danny and vice versa... Curious as to whether or not they'll fully understand that Danny is orphaned, and his mental state due to this. Lastly I'm wondering if you'll have Vlad drop by to visit? Cause after losing Maddie I can't see him continuing to attack Danny.**

The next chapter will touch more on how the kids act towards Danny, Lincoln will play a major part in it. My original plan for this chapter was for Danny to move into the basement and have Luna give her speech about moving him in, but then have Lola say something like "We didn't want you to feel lonelier than you already do" or something like that, but I decided it didn't feel right. Don't worry about Vlad, I've got plans for him, I imagine he'd be pretty pissed when he finds out Danny isn't his, he'll be trying to get the "last thing left of Maddie." While I'm on this subject, I might as well say that Dani will show up later, but her role will be different from that of the show.

Davidscrazy234: **Update. Danny should have his own lab in the backyard with a secret base under it**

I hadn't actually thought about something like that until you brought it up. I feel like giving him something of that size would be too big to go unnoticed by the Louds, he'll have a workshop for his family's gadgets but it's just going to be a workbench in his room. I'm trying to make him have a somewhat believable place to work, at least as believable a story about cartoons can get.

That's it for the reviews, but before I end this I have a question. I went back and watched some older Loud House episodes and saw plenty of moments for Danny to be a little shit. Would you guys be interested in reading what I'd do? They wouldn't be an actual part of this story, more like little side notes of what might have happened if Danny had grown up in Royal Woods instead of Amity Park. Interested? Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know.

Alright that's all for now, until next time.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just to let you guys know, the timeline I'm using is based on the date the episodes were aired, so I can have like an estimate of the months events (like Ultimate Enemy happening during September), it just makes things easier for me. Also that means that I've changed the episodic order of some things (you know like everybody else does), because it suits my purposes.

This chapter will focus on Danny interacting with the Louds, some more than others, it's going to mark one of the few times I use an episode as a basis for part of chapter, and one of the times I use an episode out of sequence, but let's face it you can watch almost every episode of Loud House out of order and not tell much of a difference. Also, I noticed something: I haven't made anyone swear in this story. If you've read any of my other stories you should know that that's really unlike me, and to be honest... I think the story's better without it. So I have made a rule for this story: I will only make the characters swear only when it fits the situation, or if it's in a song (or did you think that I put Luna as one of the main characters and didn't plan on using music as a tool in this story?). So yay for clean language I guess. Any way, onto the story.

* * *

It had been a month since Danny had moved into the Loud House and the boy seemed to be getting along just fine. Lynn Sr. and Rita loved having an extra hand around the house, it allowed them to take more overtime at their jobs so they could earn more. He even helped them with repairs around the house, something they appreciated immensely.

The oldest girls loved having Danny back in their lives. They treated him like he had always been a part of the family despite his nine year absence. He loved being around them, doing normal teenage things with them, getting dragged to the mall by Lori and Leni so they could update his wardrobe, listening to Luan's jokes (no matter how bad they could be), he even helped Lynn come up with new trash talk when she got tired of her old ones. But out of all of them Luna was the one who was most attached to the newest addition. Over the past month the two had become almost as inseparable as when they were younger, sometimes even falling asleep in the others room because they stayed up too long. Lynn Sr. went to say goodnight to his daughters one night only to find Danny curled up in Luna's bean bag chair, sleeping soundly. Of course he woke the boy up and sent him to the attic, but the fact remains that their childhood bond hadn't weakened since they had last seen each other.

The youngest Loud daughters enjoyed having him around almost as much as their older sisters. Danny treated them as though they were his little sisters, helping them whenever they asked, whether it be Lola asking for help with her pageants, pretending to let Lana wrestle him to the ground, helping Lisa with some of her less physical experiments, or answering Lucy's questions about ghosts. Surprisingly, Lily was the closest to Danny, of the youngest that is. She seemed drawn to the teen and his dog, and he didn't mind in the slightest. The baby wanted to spend so much time with him that the parents designated him her primary babysitter. When they told him this, he joked with them, saying "But she only loves me for my dog!" Regardless he took his new position in stride, even going as far as to keep her from what he called "corruptive television," most of which consisted of remakes and pandering cartoons. Most of the family had been gone one night, Rita having left Danny in charge while they were gone, and when they came back the family found Danny asleep on the couch with Lily drooling on his chest and Cujo curled up between his legs and the TV stuck on the menu screen for a Teen Titans DVD.

Overall everyone at the Loud house loved having Danny around. Almost everyone at least.

Lincoln didn't trust Danny. He couldn't see how someone could be so happy after seeing their family and friends die. Something was up with the Loud house's newest resident and Lincoln was determined to find out what. Over the past month things had happened with the teen that only made the eleven year old's overly analytical mind even more suspicious.

* * *

It was four days after Danny had moved in, and Lori and Leni had gotten into a huge argument. Lincoln was sitting on the couch playing a game while Luna blocked the kitchen doorway for reasons the boy didn't know. Danny came down the stairs, yawning and rubbing his eyes, clad in sweat pants and a t-shirt. He walked up to Luna.

"Hey, Luna."

"'Sup, Danny." She waved, looking at her friend, "Did you just wake up?" The boy yawned, covering his mouth with a fist, "Yeah, why?" The girl laughed at him, "Dude, it's 12:30."

"Really?" The realization seemed to wake him up, "Well, can I get something to eat?" He took a step forward, only for Luna to press her foot harder against the doorway, "No can do man, Lori's coolin' down in there, she and Leni got into it real bad earlier," She smirked at him, "You'd probably have known that if you hadn't slept so late."

The teen rolled his eyes, "Ha ha, now c'mon, I'm hungry." The girl shook her head, "C'moooon." He fake whined, still getting rejected, "Please..." Danny attempted to do a pouty face. Luna tried to keep a straight face, but Danny pouted even more. She broke her composure, laughing at him, "Alright, alright, just be quick, and don't make that face again."

Danny nodded and entered the kitchen. Lincoln, who'd been watching the interaction, rolled his eyes and turned back to his game. He only got to play it for a few minutes before Lori ran through the living room and up the stairs crying. The eleven year old sprang from the couch and ran to the kitchen. He slid to a stop beside Luna, who was staring at Danny as he ate a bowl of cereal. The middle child turned to his sister, "What did he say to her?" She didn't respond, she kept staring at her friend with a sad expression. He looked at the black haired teen. He couldn't see his face, his hair obscuring it. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Luna put her hand on his shoulder. She shook her head at him and led him out of the room. He never did learn what Danny had told Lori to make her cry.

A week after that, Lucy came home with a story about Danny. She had had to stay after school for her morticians club, and their parents had both been called back to work, so they asked Danny to pick up the eight year old. He agreed and left to wait for her club to let out.

Danny sat on a bench outside the school waiting for Lucy to come out. It must have rained earlier because there were puddles of mud dotting the grass. He watched as a drop of water slid down a blade of grass as Lucy exited the building. He waved to her as girl in a cheer leader outfit came out after her. She must have been a few years older than the goth based on height.

Lucy was a few yards away from Danny when the girl shoved past her, knocking her into a mud puddle. She sped up her pace, Danny assumed because she thought he'd rush to Lucy and she could get away as he checked on her. Danny stopped the girl. He looked down at her, "Apologize."

She blinked at the teen, "Why should I?"

Danny spoke to her like he spoke to Lily, "Because what you did was mean, and when people do mean things they should apologize. So go ahead." He crossed his arms.

"What if I don't wanna, huh?" The girl put her fists on her hips.

Danny sighed, rubbing his face. He looked around, not seeing anyone else, "Alright, you don't need to apologize, but," he clapped his hand on the bench, "Imagine this bench is you."

The cheerleader looked confused as she watched him raise his leg. He brought it down on the bench. Both Lucy and the girl watched as the teen's foot broke through the wood, effectively splitting the bench in two. He turned back to the girl, leaning down to her eye level with a smile, "If I see you pick on her again, that'll happen to you." The girl shook as he patted her head, "Now, run home to mommy."

Lucy watched the girl run down the sidewalk, tears streaming down her face. She smiled as Danny walked up to her, "Are you okay, Lucy?"

"I'm fine," She looked at him, her hair hiding her eyes, "Just dirty." Danny grinned at her, "Let's get you home so you can clean up, huh?"

"Doesn't your foot hurt?" The goth asked. He shook his head, helping her up, "Nope, feels perfect."

She knew he was lying, that bench was brand new and made of solid oak, and he was walking with a disguised limp. She smiled at him, "Thank you for that." He returned her smile, "Don't worry about it, just tell me if she keeps picking on you, okay?" With a final nod from Lucy, the two walked the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Lincoln sat in his room thinking about the past month. His experience with Danny, while positive, only made him feel more suspicious. It was only a week ago that he had been playing a game with his friends and they kept losing, that is until Danny joined in. He took charge of the team and predicted what the other team was going to do to near perfection.

'Flawless plans, deceptively strong, doesn't seem to care who he makes cry, not care that his family's gone, maybe even happy about it...' The boy shot up, 'Could... could he have done that?' The more Lincoln dwelt on his new thought, the more it made sense to him, 'Lucy did say she felt something off about him, could she have meant this?'

Having convinced himself that he was right, Lincoln marched through the hall, with his hands around his mouth, shouting, "Sibling meeting! Everyone to Lori and Leni's room!"

Luna and Danny were sitting in her room, the former giving the latter a guitar lesson. She was in the middle of teaching him a song when they heard Lincoln calling the girls, "Sorry, dude, I gotta go, be back in a few minutes." Luna went across the hall to Lori's room and waited for the rest to arrive. Once everyone had filed in, Lori gave her brother a bored look, "Okay, Lincoln, why did you call a sibling meeting?"

The boy fixed his sisters with a serious gaze, "You guys remember when Lucy said something was off about Danny, right?" Lori rolled her eyes, "That was a month ago, why are you bringing it up now?" He looked her in the eye, "Because I think I found out what it is." Luna waved her hand, signaling the boy to get on with it. He cleared his throat, "Based on the events of the past month, those being the time he picked up Lucy from her club, making Lori cry," said sister squinted at him, "And his positive attitude despite the supposed tragedy he witnessed-"

Luna interrupted him, an edge in her voice, "What are you gettin' at, bro?"

"I have come to the conclusion that your beloved Danny murdered his family." Lincoln crossed his arms, closing his eyes, 'Cue shocked gasps.' Dead silence met his ears. He opened his eyes. The girls were glaring at him.

Luan broke the silence, "If this is your idea of a joke it isn't funny, Lincoln." The rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

"I'm not joking!" the boy protested, "Look at the facts!"

"What facts?" Lola shouted, "The ones you made up because you're jealous that you're not the only boy anymore?"

"I'm not jealous! And I'm not making anything up, Lucy said it the day he got here; there's something strange about him!"

"I meant that like he had something supernatural around him, not that he's a family killing psychopath!" The goth said in a rare display of loudness.

"Well what about what you said he did to that bench? That's proof he could have killed them!"

"Incase you forgot, Sherlock," Lisa lisped, "Danny's family died in an explosion, they weren't beaten to death."

"Yeah, and just because someone _can_ do something, doesn't mean they will!" Lynn punched her palm, "Like how I could be beating you up for making a major ass of yourself!"

"And have you seen pictures of his family?" Lana chimed in, "His dad was built like a bear, there's no way he could have taken him down!"

"Regardless of how strong him or Uncle Jack were," Lori cast a glance at the twin, "Danny loved his family, and when he loves someone he never hurts them."

"Well then why did he not have a problem making you cry, huh?" Lincoln pointed a finger in her face.

"She wasn't crying because Danny was mean, she was crying because she was going to apologize to me." Leni narrowed her eyes at Lincoln.

The boy's face went blank, "What?"

Luna spoke up, "It happened when I was blocking the door for Sister Fight Protocol, I had just let Danny through to get his breakfast,"

Danny walked past Luna, who put her foot back up to keep Lori from escaping. He made his way to the cabinets, glancing at the oldest Loud sibling, who was furiously texting Bobby. As he got the cereal down, he thought to himself, 'So she and Leni are fighting? Maybe I could help... should I though? Luna made it sound like it was something I shouldn't get involved in...' He shook his head, 'I hate seeing these guys fight.' The boy spoke up, keeping his back turned, "Hey Lori."

The girl growled as Luna turned, looking as though she was about to tackle Danny, "What, Danny?!"

"Do you want to know what the last thing I said to Jazz was?"

The girls froze, Lori's thumbs hovering over her phone screen, Luna stopped mid stride. Danny never talked about his family, not unless some else brought them up first. The boy spoke again, taking their silence as a yes,

"It was two weeks ago. My school was going to be taking the C.A.T. They made a huge deal out of it, saying that if we failed that the only job we could get was in the Nasty Burger. But if we passed, then we had a path ahead of us, paved in gold, like my sister," He paused his story to get milk from the fridge. As he filled his bowl the girls still couldn't see his face, "Cut to after school, I was sitting in the kitchen, trying to study. The school had given us these mock tests to help us be prepared and all that. Anyway, Jazz was watching me over my shoulder and whenever I'd go to fill in an answer she'd make this sound," He threw the empty milk jug away, "Every time too, she always sounded like she was going to try to correct me but never did. Finally, I snapped at her, "I get it, I'm not as smart as you and I never will be!" She told me that she was just trying to help. Me, stressed out and angry because of that stupid test, I told her, "Then why don't you help me by leaving me alone!"" He sat down across from Lori, releasing a shudder, "The next time I saw her was only for like 10 seconds, and then," His hand made an explosion motion, "She was gone." He looked up. Silent tears poured down his face, his eyes half lidded and filled with regret, "I was so stressed out about doing good and preparing for my future that I never stopped to think that she may not have been a part of it."

"Danny..." Lori reached across the table. The boy wiped the tears off his face, sniffing, and fixed the oldest daughter with morose, bloodshot eyes, "I don't know what the last thing you told Leni was, but would you feel comfortable if it was the last thing she'd hear from you?" She didn't need to think long. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood and bolted out of the room. Danny smiled sadly, "I thought not."

As Luna finished her story, the rest of the girls had tears in their eyes, including Lisa who "doesn't partake in human emotions." Lincoln knew that his argument was falling apart, the last story acting as a metaphorical wrecking ball. Luan stood and made her way to the door, Lincoln interrupting her, "Where are you going, Luan?"

"As long as we're proving Danny didn't kill his family," She looked pointedly at her brother, "I'm going to show my own evidence."

She opened the door and stepped out, almost running into someone. Danny stood in the doorway, Luan backpedaling to keep from knocking into him. The room was filled with a deafening silence for what felt like an eternity, the Louds staring at Danny, who had his eyes locked on Lincoln. Finally, Luna broke the silence, her voice nervous, "Hey, Danny, you, uh, need something?"

He didn't look away from Lincoln, "Yeah," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "I was tuning my guitar and one of the strings snapped, I was wondering if you'd give me one?"

"Sure," the girl got up and grabbed his hand, leading him away, "We'll keep working on that song too, yeah?"

"Right." Danny never looked away from the white haired boy as he was lead away.

Lincoln was rooted to his spot. Something in Danny's eyes paralyzed him, it wasn't a look that promised him pain, he couldn't tell what it meant, there was just something about it that pierced his soul.

He was brought out of his stupor by Lori, "Y'know how you've always said you wanted a brother, Lincoln?" The boy looked at his sister as the rest filed out of the room. He nodded under her disappointed gaze, "Well, you just chased away your best chance at having one." And with that Lincoln was left alone in the room.

* * *

The next day, Lincoln woke up, a pit in his stomach. He felt immense regret over what had happened the day before, realizing he had made something out of nothing, again. He dressed himself and made his way down stairs. He entered the kitchen, greeting his sisters solemnly and not receiving any reply, and was about to get the cereal from the cabinet when he saw something on the table. There was a plate with two Pop tarts stacked on top of one another, but that wasn't what drew his attention, what did was the case knife sticking out of them.

"Uh, guys," his sisters looked at him from the table, "Why is there a knife sticking out of those Pop Tarts?"

"They were Danny's," Luna said, picking up her glass of juice, "But then he remembered he loved that flavor and stabbed them, y'know, since he has to kill everything he loves." She finished, looking at her brother out of the corner of her eye as she sipped the juice.

"I can still hear their screams." Lucy called from the end of the table.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Lincoln couldn't help but feel worse. Regardless , he asked, "Doesn't that seem a bit ridiculous?"

"Oh, so now you can tell when something's ridiculous?" Lori didn't look up from her phone.

The boy slumped forward, "Okay, I deserved that." He looked around, not seeing the teenage boy at the table, "Where is Danny anyway?"

"He went back up to his room," Lynn told him through a mouthful, "Probably thinking about a way to take us all out." She flicked her spoon at her brother, flinging her cereal onto his shirt.

He sighed, making his way back up to his room to change, "This isn't gonna blow over soon, is it?"

"I doubt it."

The voice startled Lincoln. Holding his hand over his heart, he looked to the top of the stairs. Danny stood at the top, leaning against the wall. He was dressed in clothes that the girls had gotten him at the mall; a red and white flannel over a black shirt, faded jeans and a red beanie. The sight of the teen made Lincoln nervous, his dead eyes looking down on him. Lincoln gave him a weak smile, "H-hey, Danny," he scratched the back of his head, "Look, about yesterday, I'm real sor-"

"I know you are," Danny interrupted him, "And it's alright, probably nothing compared to what everyone in Amity Park's thinking." He sighed, his eyes taking on a sad look, "But still, it's not every day you get accused of killing your family..." He went silent for a few minutes. Lincoln was about to say something when the teen continued, "Just... just give me some time to get over it, alright?"

Danny brushed past the boy, making his way back to the kitchen. Lincoln turned to start up the stairs again when Danny yelled from the bottom, "Oh, and I can't guarantee that Cujo didn't use your bed to go to the bathroom." The middle child looked at his open door. The green dog sauntered out of the room, kicking his paws on the carpet, before going past him and down the stairs.

* * *

It had been a week since Danny's encounter with Lincoln on the stairs and he still steered clear of the boy. Thankfully for him, his sisters' hazing had almost died out completely, though Luna and Lynn were still the worst offenders.

It was only a week until Halloween and the family was attending one of Lynn's football games, the final of the season. The family sat bundled up for the cold weather, Lynn Sr. and Rita next to each other on the end of the stands, Lori and Leni on the other end, acting as a fence for the younger kids. Danny and Luna sat in the middle, Lily sitting in the boy's lap. They watched as Lynn forced her way through the other team, making it five yards from the end zone before they brought her down. Lily giggled and clapped for her older sister, prompting the two teens to smile at her. Luna tickled the baby's face, "Aw, does someone like seein' her sister kick butt?" She laughed at the tickles as Danny handed her to the rocker, "You mind holding her for a bit? I gotta go to the bathroom."

"No prob, dude," She took the baby, "Hurry back, don't wanna miss Lynn score do ya?"

The boy stood with a laugh, "Please, the score's already unbalanced, there's no way her team could lose." With that Danny walked to the restrooms. They were a fair distance from the stands, Danny guessed so that nobody could hear if someone was having "intestinal distress," not that one could hear of the crowd cheering. Danny went inside a stall to do his business, despite the restroom's lack of people he didn't want to risk using a urinal and have someone stumble in and stare at him. When he was finished he washed his hands and stared at himself in the mirror.

His blue eyes turned toxic green as he shifted into Phantom. It had been over a month since he used his ghost powers, because there hadn't been any ghost attacks since the Nasty Burger explosion. He looked himself up and down.

'Lincoln had a point,' He thought, 'I may not have killed my family directly, but... in an off hand sort of way I kinda did.' He gripped the edges of the sink, 'This is the suit of a person who failed their loved ones... I won't do that again, I need to change my costume, something different than this old hazmat suit, something different from this... this mark of tragedy and failure.' He changed back to Fenton, thinking of the Louds, 'I won't fail them.'

A thud against the wall broke the teen from his thoughts. It was muted, dull, meaning it came from outside. He grabbed a paper towel as he left the restroom, drying his hands. Danny turned the corner, looking for what made the sound from earlier. What he found made his blood boil.

Someone, Danny guessed around his age, had Lincoln pinned to the wall. His jacket was wet on the front, Lincoln must have accidentally bumped into and spilled something on him. The boy's feet kicked at the air, having been lifted of the ground a few inches, "My mom just bought me this coat!" Danny heard the stranger say, "You have no idea what I'm gonna do to you, you little shit!"

"You're going to let him go." Danny spoke, drawing the kid's attention. He sneered at the halfa, "Fuck off, this isn't any of your business!"

"Then I'm making it my business," the black haired boy stepped forward, "Now let him go before I make you."

"Are you looking for a fight?" The bully dropped Lincoln, turning his body toward Danny, who rolled his eyes, "No, but it looks like I found one."

Danny unzipped his coat, letting it drop to the ground. The cool air brought goosebumps up his uncovered arms as he settled into a stance. The kid, not one to be outdone, took of his jacket, shivering from the cold. The area they were in was lit by a single outdoor light, casting a yellow glow over them. Danny waited, his even breaths forming clouds of mist. Finally, the bully ran at him. He swung his fist, Danny ducking under it. The halfa punched him in the side, the roar from the stands blocking out whatever sound he made. Danny didn't hold back. He kicked the boy in the chest, making him stumble back. He tried to rush Danny again, only for him to dodge around the charge. Danny grabbed the back of the other boy's collar, pulling his head back into his elbow. The boy swayed, dazed from the halfa's attacks. In front of the boy again, Danny threw a punch, hitting the boy in the throat. He gasped as he fell to his knees, clutching his neck. Danny span on one foot, sending his heel into the boy's forehead. The boy fell onto his back, unconscious.

Danny knelt down, grabbing his coat. He slipped it on and zipped it as he looked at Lincoln, his face changing into one of concern, "Are you alright, Lincoln?"

The white haired boy looked between Danny and the unconscious bully, "Why did you help me? I thought you hated me."

Danny sighed, "I don't hate you, Lincoln," he waved for the boy to follow him, "I just needed time to get over what you said. Seeing that guy about to hurt you... Let's just say I'm over what happened last week." The two stepped up the stands, reaching their row. Danny took his seat next to Luna, who handed Lily back to him. Lincoln tried to scoot back to his spot, but Danny stopped him, "Where are you going?" he patted the space next to him, giving the middle child a smile, "Your spot's right here."

* * *

A/N: Full disclosure, I know nothing about football. Gasp! An American doesn't know about his country's favorite sport?! That's right, the extent of my knowledge comes from _Waterboy, Longest Yard,_ and _the Blindside,_ so that's why I didn't focus too much on Lynn playing.

Before I get reviews or PMs about how Lincoln thinking Danny killed his parents is stupid, just remember **these kids have made something out of nothing before**. Remember Ties that Bind? Yeah, that molehill didn't become a mountain did it? I'm just trying to point out that they've jumped to some wild conclusions without hard evidence before.

With that out of the way, onto reviews,

gamelover41592: **Good job on this chapter things are looking up thanks for the adorable Lily scene**

Thanks for that, and you're welcome for the scene with Lily, I plan on making more like it, just don't expect one every chapter, that would mess with the edgy teen angst that'll come in later.

xbox432: **Loved the small bit with Luna and Rita, nice to see the family (three of them so far) actually acknowledging what happened to Danny and planning how to treat/help him.** **Also, gonna be interesting to see just how long it'll take for the Louds to figure out that Cujo ain't from Albania, *snort* I can't believe you had him say that in regards to albinism, cause Cujo isn't anywhere near as discrete as Danny is. At the least, the parents ought to suspect seeing as they are aware of Jack and Maddie's discovery of ghost's being real.**

I hope this chapter showed that all of the family actually knew and took into account Danny's sensitivity (except for Lincoln). And none of the Louds suspect a thing about Cujo, they just think he's a weird, green dog. Funny enough, I had an Idea for this chapter where Cujo would've been revealed to be a ghost during a home invasion. I thought it would be awesome to have the attic door fall open in front of the robber and have Cujo change as he steps down it before attacking them, sort of like the dog from _the Sandlot_ , I just couldn't think of a way for it to coherently fit this chapter because it wouldn't have advanced the plot at all. Also the entire family knows that ghosts exist. That's something that I never understood about the show, these people have proved that there is an afterlife and there is no media coverage of it except in their town? I don't think so, in this story, it's worldwide knowledge that there are ghosts.

Davidscrazy234: **Are you ever going to update Gravity Phalls?!**

I don't know, maybe... when I feel like it. I might rewrite it, make it more like this, cause let's be honest compared to this one the rest of my stories look like a collection of polished turds, so... don't expect it anytime soon... Also please don't just leave reviews about my other stories on different ones, this applies to all of them, at least not without an actual review of the story you're leaving it on, like put it in as an afterword to the review, your question will get answered, it just pisses me off when it's by itself; I get a notification about a new review and when I look at it it's just about one of my other derelict stories? That's like messaging George Lucas about a remake of _Willow_ when he's in the middle of filming a new Star Wars.

BrRosabal22: **Will u be pairing Luna with Danny?**

...I can't build up to that first? I've got angsty plans for Luna and Sam (from Loud House, not the dead one) and someone already sees through me? Shit. Look, I'll just say this: Wait for it. This story is a drama, and you can't have a drama without fucked up emotions. Also anyone who says that Luna and Danny being paired together doesn't sound adorable as fuck needs to stop. I'm not saying you said that, I know you didn't, I'm just saying something we have a chance of agreeing on.

Guest: **I know you said that ghosts won't play a big role in the story and I don't wanna force you into using them, but I hope we can see the reactions that the Louds could have with some of the ghosts, like Luna meeting Ember, Lana's disgust towards Skulker with him being a hunter, Lisa dealing with Technus, etc. But like I said, take your time, your story your rules. Anyways keep doing a fine job.**

I'm actually thinking about using the next chapter as the "first ghost chapter." Don't worry about forcing me into using them, there is a place for everything and everything's in its place. I do have plans for Ember and Skulker, I don't think I'll use Technus though, that might change, but meh. I can't really think of much of a place for him. Out of this batch of reviews you get the gold star for being so respectful in your review and I think you had the most relevant question for the time. So, good for you.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it's probably the longest chapter I've ever written, I hope the bit of violence at the end was to your liking, and I'll get to work on the next chapter as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

A/N: This is part one of the Halloween chapter. I know that's next month, but it was the next logical step since I said that it was a week until Halloween in the last chapter. In this chapter, we'll see Danny's redesign and the first ghost of this story, so that's exciting. And I think I'm going to make an amendment to what I said in the first chapter, the ghost won't play a major role in this story unless I think they can play a as a good fit to the chapter (This doesn't include Halfas, I know there are people out there thinking, "But what about Vlad?!" Just hold your horses, he'll be here).

Also, there was a review that caught my attention, don't bother looking for it in the reviews, I got an email for it but it didn't show up in the reviews for some reason. Anyway, a guest sent me an unofficial soundtrack and for whatever reason that made me super happy. The songs you chose were good, and I can see why you chose them, however, me knowing what the future events of this story will be, I decided to make one of my own. Part of it'll be at the end of this chapter if anyone's interested. Why only part? Because I lost the list and the ones I can remember are on here, the others will come when I find that fucking list.

I've noticed something about this story. So far, I've only said that Danny and Luna are best friends, but you know what? I haven't shown that they're best friends. That's what I'll try to focus on this chapter, showing that these two have a connection instead of just saying they do and having everyone go like "Halright!" My only hope is that I can pull it off.

* * *

The mall was almost pitch black as Danny floated through it. He passed by the racks of clothing, invisible, not seeing anything that peaked his interest. He sighed, "Maybe I'll find something in another store."

The halfa drifted lazily through the wall to the store next door. Sports equipment and jerseys lined the walls, making him roll his eyes, "Yeah, maybe if I wanted to dress like Lynn." He put his hands behind his head and floated on his back, staring at the ceiling. He was about to phase through the next wall when something caught his eye. Righting himself, Danny floated up to one of the shelves. It was packed with paintball helmets and masks, he guessed they didn't sell very well due to the clearance sign hanging from the shelf. He grabbed one of the helmets, the dark glass reflecting the wall behind him. The boy slipped it on, instantly regretting it. The helmet forced his hair down into his eyes, the follicles poking his sensitive orbs, causing him to rip it off and throw it back on the shelf as he rubbed his eyes. He picked up one of the masks and put it on. The mask made him feel much better, it not making his hair stab him in the face. He pulled it off and became visible, letting the lens mirror his face. His eyes drooped at the sight of his ghost form.

"A mask to hide the failure..."

He turned invisible again, taking the mask with him, and went to the next store. This one was full of black clothes and pop culture references, and looked cramped with the racks of clothes, table and counter. The halfa looked around, "I think I remember going to one of these with Sam once... I hated it, it was full of people and you couldn't take step without bumping into anyone." He floated around the store, not actually looking for anything. He stopped in front of a table. A pair of gloves sat on the table, the fingers missing. That's not what drew Danny to them, however, it was that attached to each knuckle was a metal pyramid. He picked them up, giving them a once over, "Why do I feel like selling something like this should be illegal?" He shrugged before moving on, not putting the gloves back.

Danny made quick work of gathering his new costume after he left the last store. He went into one of the dressing rooms and became visible again. He unzipped his hazmat suit, letting it drop to the floor. He looked at the crumpled mess that was his old costume. He would miss wearing it, but he couldn't bring himself to keep using it... the stains of his failure clung to it too harshly. He gave it one last look before turning his back to on it. One of the gloves was splayed open, almost as though it was waving goodbye.

* * *

Vanzilla rolled down the street. The inside of the van was alive with chatter. Lori was driving talking to Leni in the passenger seat. Behind them sat Lucy, Lincoln, Lisa, and Lily, and behind them were Lynn, Lola, Lana, and Luan. They were abuzz with ideas for their Halloween costumes, their loud voices filling the van.

The only ones in the van who were silent were Danny and Luna, who sat in the back. For once the two were content to sit in silence, having plugged their headphones into Danny's iPod to cancel out the other kids. The boy had put it on shuffle, letting the device pick whatever it wanted to play. Luna wasn't surprised to find that the bands on the iPod weren't too different from hers; Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Shinedown, she was the one who got him into that kind of music after all. She rested her head against her seat as an Evanescence song ended. The next song began, this one making her quirk her eyebrow, 'Is… is this…' The girl turned to her friend. He was frozen in his seat, eyes wide. Luna reached for his ear, removing his earpiece. He didn't react until she asked, "Is this Ska music, Danny?"

The boy's shoulders slumped. He nodded slowly, shame evident on his face for liking what was considered a dead genre. Luna watched him for a minute before saying, "It's alright, I can see why you'd like it, and uh, you're not the only one who likes a… different kind of music." Her friend looked at her expectantly. She sighed, leaning over to whisper in his ear as her face grew red, "Sometimes when no one else is around I like to listen to… elevator music."

Luna closed her eyes and cringed, waiting for her friend to judge her. Instead she heard snickering. She looked at Danny, who was hiding his laughter in his fist, "I'm sorry, it's just," He had to compose himself, "I'm just picturing you head banging to Kenny G." The girl stared at the laughing boy, before joining him. They laughed together for what felt like hours before calming down and leaning back in their seats once more, listening to the sounds of Reel Big Fish play as the van made its way to the Royal Woods Mall.

* * *

The noise from the Loud family van was nothing compared to the noise of the mall's seasonal store. Kids ran through the isles looking at the costumes that lined the racks, as their distressed parents tried to keep up with them. Danny grinned at the Louds as they combed the store in search of their costumes. He flicked through a rack of outfits, Luna standing next to him, "Aren't you gonna look for a costume?"

The girl shook her head, "Nah, dude, already got mine at home." Danny looked at the others, "Looks like you're the only one." He moved onto another rack, not seeing anything on the last one. Luna snickered and grabbed a costume, "How about this one."

Her friend looked at her. Hanging from her hand was a Ghostbusters costume. The boy shook his head with a smirk, "Please, I'm a better ghost hunter than them with my eyes closed." Luna put the costume back on the rack, asking, "What was it like, y'know, helping your parents with the whole "ghost" thing?" Danny laughed, "It was actually pretty fun," the two moved onto more costumes, "I got to help them make their ghost weapons, I actually have all of their old blueprints in my room," he sighed, "But then there were the times where it wasn't so awesome, like when I got thrown around by a ghost. I showed you some of the scars I got, right?" His friend nodded, "They tried to get me to stop every time I got hurt, but I didn't really give them a choice." Danny moved a costume aside, it being replaced by a Casper costume. He pointed at it and turned to Luna, "By the way, no ghost looks like that."

By the time all of the kids had picked out their costumes, they were all hungry. All of them were sitting in the mall food court, eating after pushing two of the tables together. Their behavior wasn't much different from how the family ate at home, the exception being that the younger kids weren't throwing their food. Danny was seated at the end of table, Lincoln across from him. The eleven year old was talking at Danny about how cool he thought it was that the teen came from the most haunted place in the world.

"I mean come on, a ghost sighting almost every day?" Lincoln waved his arms around, "That sounds like the coolest thing ever!"

Danny tried to deny him, "It's not rea-" He was interrupted, "And don't even get me started on Phantom!" The teen quirked his brow, "I could go on about him forever, I've watched every YouTube video about him at least a hundred times each and I have every one of his comics-" This time Danny interrupted him, "Phantom has a comic?"

Lincoln looked at him as though he were a stranger, "You didn't know? It's only the second greatest comic out there! It's only been going on for about nine months though, but it's really..." Danny leaned back in his seat, tuning the boy out, 'There's really a comic about me?' The idea sounded strange to him. Was he really that famous outside Amity Park? He smirked, 'I wonder how much they've gotten wrong about me?'

The teen didn't get much time to dwell on his new thoughts, as a stream of blue mist blew out of the corner of his mouth. He bolted upright, startling Luna who was seated next to him, "Dude, you alright?" The teens eyes flew around the food court, trying to find what had set his ghost sense off. Not seeing anything, he forced himself to relax and answer his friend, "Yeah, I just gotta, uh..." He grasped at any excuse he could use, finally saying, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Not giving any of the Louds time to respond, Danny got up from the table and walked toward the restroom as fast as he could. He shoved the door open and booked it into one of the stalls, 'Shit, I was hoping this wouldn't happen again!' He thought as the familiar white rings engulfed him. Danny was replaced by Phantom in his new outfit. His feet were covered by black combat boots, the legs of black cargo pants tucked into them, the white pockets on the legs standing out. His torso was covered by a black shirt, the long sleeves leading to the gloves he had taken. A white denim vest was worn over the shirt, a black hood sprouting from the collar and covering his hair, a tuft peaking out of the front. Covering his face was the mask he had taken the night before, his glowing eyes giving the lens a green tint.

He even hadn't left the bathroom when the screaming started. He flew through the wall as fast as he could. The food court was in chaos. People shoved past each other, tipping tables left and right in an effort to get to the exits. He tried to spot the Louds, but the crowd was too dense, all the faces blurred together. He looked back toward where they had been eating. They weren't there. The halfa began to panic, 'Where are they, I have to make sure they're safe?!' Finally he spotted an empty section of the food court. Everyone else was avoiding it like the plague, and Danny saw why.

Skulker floated in the air, facing the wall. Below him were three ghost hounds. The hounds were encircling the Loud family, backing them against the wall. The oldest children were pushing the others behind them, trying to act as human shields, should the ghosts attack.

"Where is he?!" Danny could hear the ghost hunter even over the noise of the frenzy, "I know the ghost child is here, the lot of you reek of his scent!" Lori shouted back in a shaky voice, "We don't even know who you're talking about!" Skulker growled at her, "Don't play dumb with me, girl, Phantom's stench clings to you, now tell me where he is before I let my pets make snacks out of you!" The Louds kept calling back to the ghost that they didn't know who he was talking about. The ghost's metal eyes narrowed, "Have it your way..." He snapped his fingers. The dogs leapt at the family.

Danny dropped onto the hound in the middle, his knee driving its head into the tile floor, making a spider web of cracks. He grabbed the other two by their faces. He cracked their heads together, eliciting piercing yelps. He span in a circle, throwing the ghosts at Skulker. The hunter grinned as he went intangible, the hounds passing through him, "There you are, Whelp."

Phantom kicked the dog he had landed on away, "Nice to know you can still see, Skulker." The mask muffled his voice, effectively disguising it, "You still after my "pelt?""

"I wouldn't be the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter if I weren't, child." The ghost cracked his suit's knuckles. Danny smirked under his mask, "Please, at this point you should called the "Ghost Zone's greatest blunder," with how many times I've sent you back there."

Skulker's eyes narrowed, "Still with the unamusing banter." Without warning the Skulker's suit sprouted rockets, causing Danny to throw up a shield around himself and the Louds. The explosives hit the outside of the bubble as the halfa turned to his new family, "As soon as he stops firing I'm going to drop the shield, when that happens, you all need to get out as fast as you can."

Luna spoke up as more missiles hit the shield, "What about Danny," the worry in her voice weighed on the boy, "He wasn't with us when this guy showed up! We need to find him!"

"Don't worry about him, he'll be fine," Danny told her, "But I need you all to get out as soon as you can, so I can take care of this guy alright?" She didn't respond, but there was something in her eyes, something the boy didn't like the looks of. Lori and Leni grabbed their youngest sisters, holding them close as Phantom prepared to lower the shield. The second Skulker stopped firing, Danny dropped the bubble. The Louds ran for the exit as the ghost-boy threw ectoblasts at the hunter.

As they made their way to the doors, Luna couldn't stop thinking about her friend. Worry clenched in her chest. They were halfway to the exit when she took a hard left, running toward the restroom Danny had went to. She ignored the cries of her family, intent on finding her friend. The girl had almost made it to the restroom when onw of the ghost hounds from earlier appeared in front of her.

Luna froze in her tracks. The dog took a step toward her, making her take two steps back. He got caught on a chair that had been tipped over. She fell back, barely managing not to land on her back. She stared at the dog and it stared back. It leapt at her. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for death.

Danny grappled with Skulker. He kneed the ghost on the stomach, making him double over, before swinging his foot into the side of his head. Skulker righted himself, grabbing his spinning helmet at making it face forward. He extended his claws, the serrated blades gleaming in the light. He swung at the halfa, who leaned back to avoid the strike. Danny followed up with an ectoblast into Skulker's chest. The hunter grabbed the boy by his wrist. He span him in the air before letting him go, flinging him into the wall. He cried out, the impact making his hood fall. He hit the ground, dazed, as Skulker landed in front of him. The hunter lifted the halfa off of the ground by his hair. The ghost grinned, his voice coming out like venom, "Any last words, child?" He dragged the tip of his claws along the boy's face, drawing ectoplasm.

The boy didn't respond. He looked over Skulker's shoulder. His eyes flashed red at what he saw, changing the tint of his mask. He saw one of Skulker's hounds bearing down on Luna. Danny grabbed the hand that held him, rage building inside him. His hands burst into green flames, the fire melting through the suit's wrist.

The hunter cried out, his hand releasing his prize. Danny shoved past him. The boy tore across the food court, flying as fast as he could. The dog leapt, a scream ripping through the air. It was Danny's.

His shoulder hit the dog in its side, throwing it through the wall and into the restroom. He rounded on Luna, "What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to leave!" The girl shook away her shock, glaring at Phantom, "If you think that I'd leave my friend behind in something like this you're dead wrong!" She picked herself up, "There's no way I could live with myself if he got hurt and I could have done something about it." Danny sighed, looking her in the eye. He spoke gently, "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to your friend. I promise."

"How touching," Skulker floated above them, the rest of his hounds gathering beneath him. Danny pushed Luna behind him, keeping his eyes on the ghost and his pets. The hunter's right hand was missing, wires sparking from the stump, "The ghost child made a new friend, let's hope this one lasts longer than the last two."

The halfa's eyes narrowed under his mask. His hands erupted in flame again. The boy kicked off the ground, flying at Skulker. The dogs pounced at him, their mouth foaming. He dodged their attack, causing them to collide in the air. Danny swung at the ghost hitting him in the jaw. Skulker flew into the ground, part of the suit's face having melted under the fire. He raised his fist, a hatch in his arm opening. A missile rose from the compartment and fired at Danny. The halfa twisted out of the way, the missile flying through the glass dome ceiling before exploding. Danny dropped out of the air, letting gravity bring him down on Skulker's leg. The metal creaked before it snapped, exposing more of the suit's wiring. The ghost cried out as Danny reached into one of the pockets of his cargo pants.

He pulled out the claw that Wulf had given him a month ago. He span it in his palm and slashed the air with it. The space where the claw passed through was ripped open, an unearthly howling piercing the air as a hole to the Ghost Zone appeared. The boy lifted the hunter off of the ground, preparing to throw him through the breach.

Skulker's dogs snapped at him, making Danny let go of and jump back from their master. He charged his hands with ghost fire as the three dogs hunched forward, ready to pounce. The air thickened between them, each waiting for the other to move first.

The hounds lunged. Danny ducked under one of them. He placed his hands on the ground, swinging his foot overhead and into one of the others. The last of the hounds jumped, attempting to land on top of the halfa. He rolled out of the way and fired an ectoblast at it. The hound turned intangible, letting the attack fly through it. The first dog pounced at him. He grabbed it by the throat but it's weight threw him off balance, forcing him to the ground.

The canine snapped and snarled as it tried to bite into him, smearing his visor with saliva. Its jaws clamped onto the edges of the mask as Danny's arms blazed with green fire. His grip on the hound's neck grew tighter as he forced it off, sending his mask with it. The burnt ghost hit the floor, sending the mask skidding across the floor. It slid to a stop at Luna's feet. Danny didn't have time to retrieve it before another dog attacked him. He span around it, grabbing it by the tail. He swung the canine into one of the others, using their momentum to throw them through the tear in reality and into the Ghost Zone.

The burnt hound growled at the boy when he turned toward it. Its charred fur smoked as it began to charge him.

"Enough!"

The canine stopped at the sound of its master's voice. Danny turned to look at Skulker, having almost forgotten about the hunter. The ghost whistled, signaling the dog to come to him. He put one of the straps of his gear into its mouth, "We're done here, take us home." The hunter was dragged to the portal as he spoke to Danny, "This isn't the last you've seen of me, Ghost Child, I will be back and will mount your head on my wall."

With those last words Skulker and his hound went through the portal, which closed behind them. Danny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, the tension leaving his body, "Promises, promises." He scanned the floor in search of his mask, "Where did you go?"

Luna watched as Phantom looked for his mask. It sat in her hands. She wanted to hand it to him, to thank him for saving her. But his face made her freeze in place. His eyes caught sight of the mask in her hands. They looked each other in the eye.

"Danny?"

* * *

A/N: Well that's that! I'm not sure how I feel I did on this chapter, I like it but I keep feeling like I could have done better. Oh well.

I actually didn't intend for this chapter to be as long as it is but I won't complain. Anyway, here's the song list I talked about in the beginning. These will come up later in the story and will make sense when they're used.

I'll Fight - Daughtry  
Light On - David Cook  
Whatever It Takes - Life House  
Love Me Dead - Ludo  
Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down  
Everything to Me - Bowling For Soup  
How to Save a Life - The Fray  
Walk - Foo Fighters  
I'm Still Here - Goo Goo Dolls  
Castle of Glass - Linkin Park  
Everchanging(Acoustic) - Rise Against  
Hero - Skillet  
Chalk Outline - Thee Days Grace  
Miracle - Shinedown  
(Bonus) Louder than Ever - Daughtry (Get it?)  
(Bonus) Your Girlfriend Sucks - Reel Big Fish  
(Bonus) What I Meant to Say - Daughtry  
(Bonus) On the Inside - Daughtry

Like it? Hate it? I could have put more risqué songs on here like FMLYHM by Seether (Give it a listen, you won't regret it, unless your parents are around). The bonus songs may not be used, but I think I'll be using Your Girlfriend Sucks later.

I'll cover the reviews next chapter because my computer's being a cunt, don't worry I'll give out two gold stars. Until then, I'll be ripping my hair out while writing part two to this .


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